The Truth Can Set You Free
by broodyandcheery143
Summary: A story in which Finn never found out he's not the father of Quinn's baby. But all these lies could blow up in Quinn's face when Beth is diagnosed with Leukemia and needs her biological father for a transplant. Eventual Quick!
1. Pretty as a Princess

**So I've had the idea for this story in my head for at least 4 years now (yes, even before Glee) and never really had the confidence to write it until now, but I am very happy with the way it's panning out. As all my readers know, I am a Quick fan all the way so even though this story will start out with Fuinn together, just keep reading because I promise you'll get your Quick :)**

**I want to thank Scarlett88 for betaing and my friend Katie (lilgulie5) for giving me advice and helping with the story.**

**I really hope you enjoy this first chapter and pretty please leave a review and let me know what you think!**

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><p><span>Chapter One: Pretty as a Princess<span>

Quinn Fabray stepped out of her car into the cool, crisp spring afternoon. She let the fresh air fill her lungs, wanting to replace the stale, greasy air that she breathed at work. She closed her car door (with a lot of effort because her car isn't what it used to be) before walking up the familiar stone driveway and knocking on the red, wooden door.

"Hey Quinn," Carol Hudson greeted as she opened the door wide for the blonde. The sound of tiny, pattering footsteps could be heard as Quinn's daughter, Beth, entered the room.

"Hi Mama!" she said excitedly as she walked into her mom's open arms for a hug. Quinn gave her daughter a gentle squeeze before letting go and kissing her atop her head.

"Were you good for your Grammy today?" asked Quinn.

Beth smiled wide, looking extra adorable without the two front teeth she had lost the week before. "I did! We did a puzzle today and watched _Tangled_ and we even got to go outside and play for a whiles! But don't worry mom," Beth said when she noticed her mom opening her mouth to say something, "I wored my hat so I wouldn't get burnded."

"That's my girl," Quinn smiled proudly at her daughter. "Why don't you go get your bag so we can leave?" Beth nodded as she skipped back into the kitchen to collect her things. Quinn then turned to Carol, "How'd it go, being outside?"

"Great," Carol said, "We played with some sidewalk chalk and went down the slide a couple times. It tired her out, though, and she took an extra-long nap, but I think she was so happy to be playing outside again that it was worth it."

"Thank goodness," Quinn sighed.

"Big doctor's appointment tomorrow," Carol said, putting her hand on Quinn's back. "You nervous?"

"Aren't I always?"

Carol nodded. "Well, with the way she's progressing it seems to me that tomorrow might be a good day."

"Let's hope," Quinn said, her voice tired and apprehensive.

Just then, Beth walked back into the room carrying her bag and her favorite stuffed lamb, Curly, she took everywhere.

"Ready to go, Critter?" Quinn asked. Beth nodded and gave her grandma a hug good-bye before taking her mom's hand and walking out to the car. Quinn buckled the young girl into her booster seat before taking off.

"Mama, can we have McDonalds for dinner?" Beth asked on their drive home. "I's hungry now."

Quinn sighed. She really didn't like her daughter eating greasy fast-food, but she liked to take advantage of the little girl showing interest in eating something. "Okay, but just this once," she compromised.

"Yay!" Beth smiled, clapping her small hands together. "Can we go inside and play on the play set?"

"I don't know Beth, you've had a long day already," Quinn said hesitantly, "Are you sure you're up for playing some more?"

"Please, it's so fun," Beth begged, sticking out her bottom lip and batting her large, hazel eyes.

Quinn sighed; she was such a pushover when it came to her daughter. "Okay, but you have to work extra hard on math tonight with Mama. Deal?"

"Deal!"

Quinn pulled into the parking lot of McDonald's. She let Beth out of her booster seat before taking her daughter's small hand and walking into the facility.

There was already a line of about three people, so the mother and daughter got in the back and waited patiently for their turn to order. Quinn looked around the restaurant and saw people staring at them. It was the same everywhere they went. She held onto her daughter's hand a little tighter, like it could somehow protect her from all the staring. Beth didn't seem to notice, though, she was eyeing the 'My Little Pony' toys displayed on the wall.

Quinn made Beth finish all her chicken nuggets and most of her fries before she allowed her to play on the play set. She watched her daughter closely, smiling at how far she had come in the last month since her treatments were over.

After a while, though, Beth was worn-out and ready to go. Quinn drove them back to their apartment and by the time they got there it was already seven. She knew she shouldn't have let Beth play so long because now there wasn't much time for a lesson.

She sat at the kitchen table with Beth and helped her with the adding page in her math workbook. "You have three oranges at your house," Quinn said, holding up three fingers. "You go to the grocery store and buy two more oranges. How many do you have now?" Quinn asked, adding two more fingers to the three already up. Beth concentrated on her mom's fingers, counting them in her head.

"Five?" Beth answered.

"Correct!" Quinn said giving her daughter a high-five. Beth smiled proudly.

"Hey Mama."

"Hey what?"

"Do I get to go to real school next year for first grade?"

Quinn sighed. "We'll have to see how your doctor's appointment goes tomorrow." Ever since Beth was diagnosed with Leukemia almost two years ago she hadn't been able to do what most "normal" kids get to; one of those things being going to school. With all the germs in a classroom they just couldn't risk it. During Beth's treatments, just getting a cold could have been life-threatening.

"If I get to go to school next year, can I have a pink backpack?" Beth wondered.

"You can have any backpack you want."

The pair was interrupted by the sound of keys jiggling in the front door as the knob turned. "Daddy!" Beth said, jumping from her chair and greeting her father at the front door. She jumped into his arms and wrapped her own skinny arms around his neck, hugging him tight.

"Hey baby," Finn smiled, hugging his daughter back. "How was your day?"

"Awesome! Grammy let me play outside and Mama let me go to McDonald's for dinner and play on the play set!"

"Wow, sounds great," Finn said enthusiastically as he set his daughter back on the floor. He walked over to Quinn and pecked her on the lips before opening up the fridge to get himself some dinner. While he ate, Quinn bathed Beth and got her ready for bed.

After the big day Beth had had, she was asleep within minutes. Quinn kissed her daughter's silky forehead good-night before quietly leaving the room. She walked back into the kitchen and joined Finn at the table.

"Did you remember to ask if you could get off early tomorrow to come to the doctor's appointment?" Quinn wondered.

"Yea," Finn nodded, shoveling some chicken into his mouth. "Burt said to tell him and my mom how it goes."

"Let's just hope its good news," Quinn sighed as she settled her elbows on the table, laying her head in her hands. She was exhausted from all the worrying she had been doing and she just wanted it all to be over with.

X-X-X-X-X

The next day Quinn left Breadstix a little earlier than usual so she could take Beth to her doctor's appointment. Apprehension filled every ounce of Quinn's body as she arrived at Carol and Burt's house to pick her daughter up. Around Beth she tried to pretend like this doctor's appointment was no big deal, just one of a million she'd had to go to in during the past two years, but honestly it wasn't true. This appointment was crucial as to whether her daughter gets to be normal again or go through another agonizing year of treatments.

Carol gave Quinn an extra strong hug before she and Beth walked out the door and to Quinn's car.

"Mommy, is I ever gonna have hair again?" Beth wondered during their car ride.

"Of course you are, sweetie. But like I tell you, you're beautiful without it, too."

"Like a princess?"

"Prettier than a princess."

"Wow," Beth smiled.

They arrived at the doctor's office and made their way up to the third floor. Quinn signed Beth in at the counter before they took a seat. She looked at her watch. They had gotten there about fifteen minutes early and Finn was to meet them any minute. Unconsciously, her leg began to shake as she waited.

"Mommy, that girl looks like me," Beth whispered, pointing to another little girl diagonal from them. She was about a year older than Beth, sitting beside her mom reading a book. She had very large blue eyes that stood out compared to the baldness of her head.

"She does look like you, doesn't she?"

Beth nodded. Quinn picked up a magazine so she could try (and fail) to take her mind of the impending meeting with Beth's doctor. She didn't even notice Beth had gotten up until she heard her soft, tiny voice on the other side of the room.

"You're very pretty," she heard Beth say. She looked up to see Beth had walked across the room to where the other little girl was sitting with her mom. The little girl looked up from her book and gave Beth a sad smile.

"No, I'm not. I don't have any hair," the little girl countered.

"Me neither," Beth said, pointing to her shiny, pale head. "I still think you look like a princess, even with no hair. My Mama says I look like one, too. She says princesses are pretty because of what's on the inside. She says as long as I'm nice to peoples I is a princess."

"So does mine," the other girl said, her smile lifting now.

"I'm Beth, and that's my Mama," she said pointing back to Quinn. "She's pretty, too, even if she has hair."

Quinn chuckled as she got up and walked to the other side of the waiting room, joining her daughter. "I'm Quinn," she said, holding her hand out to the little girl's mom.

"I'm Anne and this is my daughter, Alice," the little girl's mom said. She looked to be about eight to ten years older than Quinn. She had a short, brown bob and a friendly, white smile. Like Quinn, she had more worry lines on her face than someone her age should.

"What kind of cancer do you have, Beth?" wondered Alice.

"Acute Myeloid Leukemia," Beth said, proud that she had finally conquered remembering the name. "You?"

"Hodgkin's Lymphoma," answered Alice, "But I'm in remission now. You see? I have a couple hairs growing back." She pointed to a couple blonde hairs poking from atop her head.

"I'll be in remission someday, and then I'll get to go to school and have a pink backpack," Beth explained.

Just then the nurse called Alice's name and the little girl and her mom stood. "Maybe we could exchange numbers?" Quinn suggested. "Sometimes it's nice for them to play with someone who understands."

"Good idea," Anne said as she got out her phone and exchanged numbers with Quinn. Alice waved back to Beth as she followed her mom and the nurse to the doctor's office.

Quinn and Beth made their way back to their seats. "Even though that was sweet, Critter, I don't want you talking to any strangers without telling me first, okay?"

Beth nodded, "I'm sorry."

"It's okay," Quinn said, rubbing her daughter's back.

Finn walked through the door a minute later and spotted his daughter and girlfriend. He took the chair to Quinn's right, putting his hands on his knees and moving back and forth nervously.

"How was work?" asked Quinn, trying to take their minds off the worrying.

"Not too busy today," Finn answered simply. They sat in silence for the rest of the wait.

About ten minutes later, Ashley, the nurse came out to the door. "Elizabeth Hudson," she called and the three of them rose out of their chairs and went to meet the familiar nurse. She was in her mid-twenties and a little on the chubby side. She had long brown hair that went mid-length down her back, and she always wore a welcome smile, which was especially helpful on nerve-wracking days such as this one.

"Hey there Beth!" greeted Ashley as she closed the door behind them and led them down the white halls of the office. She led them through a maze of hallways before stopping in front of a door. "Mom and Dad are to go in there and have a chat with Doctor Cohen. Bethy gets to come with me and get a couple tests done. Nothing big, just weight and blood test."

Ashley then knocked on the Dr. Cohen's office door before opening it slightly. "Miss Fabray and Mr. Hudson are here," she said. There was a mumbled response from the doctor before Ashley opened the door all the way.

"You be good, Beth," Quinn said as she kissed her daughter.

"I will!" Beth promised as she took hold of Ashley's hand and skipped down the hall. "Do you still have those Hello Kitty Band-Aids?" Quinn heard her daughter ask and she turned to enter the office and couldn't help but giggle to herself.

"Hello you two," greeted Dr. Cohen, "Come, take a seat." He pointed to the two empty green chairs on the other side of his desk, and Quinn and Finn sat down. They looked up at the familiar doctor before them. He had been Beth's oncologist for nearly two years now. He was older, in his early sixties, but he was sharp and he cared a lot about Beth's health. His hair was thinning considerably and he had plenty of worry lines on his forehead, probably from taking care of sick kids for the better part of his life.

"I received Beth's test results last week and things look very good," he said. Quinn and Finn both visibly relaxed, relieved by this news. "It seems the chemotherapy has worked and Beth is, again, in what we call phase two or post-remission therapy. Now, last year when this happened we went ahead and just did another round of chemo to try and get the last of the cancer cells out of her body, but as we all saw the remission didn't last long. So this time around I would like to try something else. Have either of you heard of a bone-marrow transplant?"

Finn shook his head.

"Vaguely, but I don't know much about it," Quinn answered.

"Basically, it's another form of treatment for patients with Leukemia. First we would destroy of all Beth's bone-marrow with high doses of chemotherapy and radiation. Then we would put healthy, donor marrow into Beth via needle and it will replace all of her old marrow," explained Dr. Cohen.

"How intense is this chemo we're talking about?" Quinn wondered. She's already witnessed her six-year-old daughter go through three rounds of chemotherapy and is not exactly looking forward to seeing it again.

"It'll be pretty intense," Dr. Cohen answered honestly, "But as of right now, the transplant is Beth's best bet at remission and ultimately survival."

Quinn sighed as she scrunched her eyes and pinched the top of her nose. Finn reached over and massaged the back of her neck. "So, who…who do we get this donor marrow from?"

"The number one choice is a twin and then a sibling, but considering Beth has neither, we would probably test the two of your first. Parents have about a 35% chance of having compatible marrow with the child. If it happens that neither of you are a match, we'd have to put her on the waiting list to find a random donor."

Quinn nodded as anxiety filled her body once again. She knew right away Finn would not be a match to Beth because, well, because he was not her real father. He didn't know he wasn't the father, either, and Quinn would like to keep it that way. She began to pray that she was a match because if she wasn't she knew she would have to ask Puck (her real father) to be the donor and that would raise too much suspicion. Sure, Finn was the least observant man she had ever known, but even he would know something was up if Puck was a match and he wasn't.

"When can we get tested to see if we're matches?" Finn wondered.

"Today if you want," answered Dr. Cohen. "All we need is a cheek swab and some blood. But if you need time to think about whether you want to do the transplant or not, you have a week before you need to decide for sure."

"And you said this is her best chance of survival?"

The doctor nodded. "Especially since another, lighter round of chemo didn't work the last time."

Quinn thought about the day they had learned Beth's cancer had come back. It had only been four months since she had heard the beautiful word 'remission' and they were already telling her it had returned. Quinn knew she couldn't go through that again. She looked over at Finn and could tell, just by looking at his face, he was thinking the same thing.

"I don't think we need time," Quinn said, "If it's Beth's best chance than we want to do it."

"Great," Dr. Cohen said, clapping his hands together. "You two are making the right choice here." He reached into his top draw and took out a pad of paper and scribbled something down before tearing the paper off and handing it to Quinn. "This is a note for the lab on the first floor that you can give to them. They'll do your tests and I'll see you back here in a week to tell you the results?"

"Sounds good," Quinn said as she stood up from her chair, Finn following suit. "Thank you for everything."

"No problem."

Quinn turned and opened the door. She stepped out of the office with Finn right behind her. She put her hands over her eyes and sighed loudly. "I don't want to do this again." She began shaking her head back and forth. "And with the transplant, it's going to be even worse than before. And oh God, Finn, how are we going to afford this? We could barely afford the last round of chemo, but this is going to be even more costly."

Finn embraced his worried girlfriend in a hug and pulled her tight. She relaxed a little as she laid her head against his chest. "It'll be okay, Quinn; we'll find a way. If it comes down to it, I'm sure my mom and Burt would be more than willing to loan us some money."

"I hate borrowing money," Quinn pouted, "But it may be our only choice."

X-X-X-X-X

That night while Finn and Beth were watching _Finding Nemo_for the hundredth time, Quinn slipped out the door to go get the mail. She walked down to the first floor of their apartment building where the mailboxes were. She got out the key and unlocked their mailbox. After collecting their mail, she started to go through the pile of envelopes. Mostly it was bills and a couple past-due notices. Quinn looked at the last envelope and immediately recognized the barely-legible handwriting. She tore it open to find the usual five-hundred dollar check.

_Thank goodness for Puck, _she thought as she looked closely at the check. He had been sending them once a month since the day Beth was born. With a lot of difficulty, Quinn had managed to convince him back in high school that she was going to keep telling Finn he was the father. It took Puck a long time to accept the truth that he was not going to get to raise his baby girl, but, true to his word he would not end up like his dead-beat dad, he sent monthly checks to make sure she was taken care of, financially at least. In return, Quinn would send a letter back with an update about Beth's health along with some pictures.

She looked back in the envelope to find the usual letter he sent with the check. It read:

_Dear Baby-Mama,_

_I am very happy to hear that Beth's chemotherapy is over for now. She's a strong little girl; she gets it from her you. The pictures you sent were beautiful as always and she seemed to have gained a little weight, which is good. I look forward to seeing more pictures and hearing how the doctor's appointment goes. I wish I could be there for it and for her and for you. I'm always here if you need anything._

_Love,_

_Puck_

Quinn sighed. She loved getting Puck's letters but he always stuck in some line about how he wished things would have turned out differently had she given him a chance. And if Quinn was honest, she spent many nights wondering the same thing. How different would her life be right now if she had given Puck a chance? She knew Beth would still have cancer; that had nothing to do with who the man raising her was. But she always wondered if she would have been able to finish college or if he would have been a good dad. Maybe she would have ended up doing the parenting thing alone. She hated wondering about it, though, because it was a hopeless cause. The past is the past and it cannot change.

She put the check and letter back inside the envelope and walked back up to the apartment. She walked straight back to her and Finn's room and opened the closet. In the back was an old shoe-box filled with every letter Puck had written since he went away to college. He told Quinn it was too hard being around Beth and not getting to raise her, so he took a scholarship to play football at the University of Kentucky about four hours away. Quinn understood completely why he did, although she did miss having him around at times. Puck still came over to visit when he was on a school break because he was still 'best bros' or whatever with Finn, but whenever he did, Quinn could see the sad look in his eyes every time he had to say good-bye to Beth. She felt like a monster when she saw that look. Maybe she is a monster, though. What she did (and is still doing) to Finn and Puck is pretty messed up. She was a child when all this occurred, but she's older now and can see how badly she screwed up back in high school. She's too deep into this lie, though, to do anything about it. But she knows one day it will all blow up in her face; it's just a matter of time.

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	2. We All Fall Down

**Thanks so much to everyone who reviewed, alerted, and favorited this story. I hope you enjoy chapter two!**

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><p><span>Chapter Two: We All Fall Down<span>

Puck's eyes fluttered open when he felt a slight pressure on his leg. Confused, he looked to his left to find some anonymous girl lying in bed next to him. _God, I love 'thirsty Thursday', _he thought as his eyes scanned the girl. She was very pretty with chestnut brown hair sprawled in a mess on the pillow. Her pink lips formed a pout as she slept and her skinny legs kicked slightly. _I could really love you, _he thought- _if I wasn't already in love with someone else._

Carefully, he climbed out of the bed and tip-toed out of his room, shutting the door noiselessly behind him.

"Why so quiet?" he heard his roommate, Chris Walker, ask.

Puck smirked. "I don't want to wake up the pretty lady sleeping in my bed."

Chris nodded with a goofy smile plastered on his face and he held his hand up for his roommate to high-five. "How is it you get all these ladies and I'm getting none?"

Puck laughed as he looked his roommate up and down. He was on the football team with Puck; a linebacker, almost two times his size. He was big and hairy and made a mess wherever he went. He was a good guy, though, and although he ate more food than Puck imagined anyone could eat and he left hair all over the bathroom when he shaved, he was a good roommate and always put up with Puck's shenanigans.

"Your time will come, dude," Puck said as he slapped Chris's back. He walked over to the refrigerator and grabbed a Gatorade and an apple before heading towards the door. "I'm heading to the gym to lift some weights."

"What do you want me to do about this chick in your bed?"

"Show her where the door is?" Puck said, like it was the most obvious thing in the world. By now Chris should know how this whole thing operates. He parties, brings a hot chick home, sleeps with her, and never seems her again. It's much easier that way, without the strings and heartbreak and all that girly shit.

He walked down to the garage of his off-campus apartment and got inside his car. He drove to the indoor football facility on campus and hit the weights to let off some steam. He had practically lived at the gym the past few months; even coming in on off-days to work out. This year was his last year to play football and he was going to put blood, sweat, and tears into it. He was going to make sure his team made it to a bowl game and, not just that, but won as well. As one of the leading wide-receivers, it was his job to make sure passes were caught and runs were successful. Plus, all this working out helped to take his mind off other things he didn't want to be thinking about.

After working out Puck went back to his apartment and sat down at the computer to check his e-mail. Luckily, whatever-her-name-was had left by the time he got back, so he didn't have to deal with any of that. When he logged on and saw he had an e-mail from Quinn, he opened it immediately. Usually Quinn only contacted him via e-mail if it was something urgent, or else they just wrote each other back and forth once a month when he sent the check.

_Puck,_

_Yesterday, Beth's doctor informed us the next step in her treatment was to do a bone-marrow transplant. He seems optimistic that if it is successful this may put her into remission, maybe forever. The first thing they do is check immediate family members to see if their marrow is compatible; there is a thirty-five percent chance ours will be. The reason I am e-mailing you is that if it turns out I am not a match you will be the next best option. I'm hoping it doesn't come to this because I know it will give Finn too much to be suspicious about, but if it does, I'm not going to deny you the right to see if you're a match, especially if it means getting Beth better. I'll find out if I'm a match or not next week, so I will e-mail you then and let you know. Thank you for everything._

_Love,_

_Quinn_

Puck sighed loudly as he read along. So many emotions filled his head at once he didn't know what to do with himself. He was happy, thankful, and hopeful that they might have found a possible cure for his little girl's disease. He was also a bit thrilled at the prospect of Finn finding out the truth. Years ago he had promised Quinn he wouldn't be the one to tell Finn the fact that he was actually Beth's father, and he had stayed true to his word. But he would be lying if he didn't check his e-mail or phone every single day, waiting for the message that told him things between his best friend and Quinn had gone south. Then he would just sit back and wait for the right moment to swoop in like Batman and save the day.

He got off his computer chair and walked the couple steps to his bed before plopping down on it lazily. He turned until only from his waist down was on the bed, the other half hanging off like a limp noodle. His hands searched under his bed before he found what he was looking for. Carefully, he grabbed a hold of the overflowing Rubbermaid container and, using his amazing abs, lifted his upper-body back onto the bed.

He huffed as he sorted through the many pictures and papers inside the container, making a mental note to organize it one day. He got about half-way through the mess before finding what he was looking for. A sad smile spread across his face as he held the picture to the light for a better look.

It was one of two pictures he had of him and Beth together. The first one was taken at the hospital the day she was born. Being Finn's best friend, it wasn't weird that he suggested he take a picture with the new-born baby. It was the first thing Quinn had ever sent him via mail.

The other picture of them together was the one in his hands. It was taken the summer before he went off to college. Finn and Puck were to go to a Cincinnati Reds game together, sort of like a last hoorah before going their separate ways. But Quinn had ended up getting sick, so the only way they could go was if they brought Beth along. It was hard for Puck to be around Beth, knowing he would never get to raise his baby girl, but it was nice getting to spend a whole day with her.

The two men spoiled her rotten that day. They got her food, candy, and soda. Finn bought her a Cincinnati Reds baseball hat and Puck bought her a foam finger. It was a long game, going into three extra innings, and Puck could remember how content and happy he felt when Beth fell asleep in his arms. Sure, the game was amazing since the Reds won in overtime, but the thing he remembers most from that day was the feeling of Beth's soft skin, hot against his arm. The way she held his shirt, twisting it tightly in her balled-up fist like she was holding onto him for dear life. The way she smiled in her sleep, like she was dreaming of funny circus clowns. He remembered looking down at her, marveling at how much she looked like him. The dark curls, the hazel eyes, the pouty lips. Moments like that were priceless to Puck, and mainly the reason he decided he had to leave Lima. It was just too damn hard.

In the picture was Puck, holding two-year-old Beth in his arms. Her brown, curly hair was wild and untamed since her hygiene had been left to the men that day. Her big, hazel eyes shone the same color as his in the spring afternoon sunlight. On one hand both of them wore a large, red foam finger. It was nearly the same size as Beth and swallowed her entire arm. Puck remembered tickling her slightly as Finn took the picture, the sound of her giggle a perfect melody to his ears. Her smile was large and care-free. His was happy yet sad at the same time. What a bitter-sweet moment that was for him.

Of course if it came to it, Puck would be more than willing to give his marrow to Beth. Even though she was not technically his daughter to protect, he would still do anything for her. All he truly wanted was for her to be happy, and he knew the thing that would make her most happy was getting to be a normal kid again.

X-X-X-X-X

Quinn was exhausted. She had been working over-time ever since she found out about the transplant, trying to earn whatever extra money she could.

Money had always been tight, even before Beth got sick. Finn had started working at Burt's tire shop in high school after his mom started dating the older man and he offered Finn a job. After graduation, Finn began working there full-time. Quinn got a part-time job waitressing at Breadstix while taking on-line college courses. It was difficult for the both of them, balancing work with parenting Beth and finding time to spend together. There was a lot of fighting and Finn spent many nights sleeping on the couch, but they had made it through for Beth.

For two years they kept this balancing act going, but then Beth got sick and it was like their world was turned upside down. The routine they had managed to find was completely disrupted. There's nothing that can prepare you for the moment your doctor tells you your four-year-old daughter has cancer. It was like walking on the beach on a clear, sunny day and out of nowhere comes a hurricane and you're been blown away in the wind, unsure of where you're headed or what lies ahead.

The first and hardest thing Quinn had to do was to quit college and begin working at Breadstix full-time. She had to spend her tuition money on the piling number of medical bills they were receiving. She always promised herself that one day when Beth got better she would go back and finish college. She wanted to be an example to Beth, someone she could look up to. But with the ever rising amount of debt her and Finn had, she was sure she would be sixty before she had enough money to go back to college.

Quinn sighed. She was sitting in Burt and Carol's living room thinking about all of this while waiting for Carol to finish dinner. She did this once a week when they had their 'Hummel family dinner night'.

She looked at Beth who was sitting at the coffee table in front of her, coloring away. In extreme concentration, Beth had her tongue sticking out, a trait she had inherited from her mom. Quinn smiled at how cute her daughter could be.

_Just a couple more months Quinn, _she thought. _Just a couple more months before Beth gets better and things can go back to normal._

Quinn started to think back to the day normal had been erased from her vocabulary.

_For the first time in months, Quinn was not startled awake by the sounds of pattering little footsteps coming towards her, jumping on her bed with a thud! She glanced at the clock on her night-stand thinking that it was odd that it was already nine-thirty and Beth had yet to come in and bounce on her bed like a little bunny._

_She sat up, wiping the sleep from her eyes, her head already filling with things that needed to be done that day. Beth needed new shoes for her first day of pre-school. They were out of milk and flour. She had an English paper she had yet to write, and the laundry still needed to be folded. She sighed as she turned so her feet dangled from the bed. In one little bounce, she hopped off the bed and, still half-asleep, walked slowly down the hall towards her daughter's room._

_She squinted as she opened Beth's bedroom door. The light coming from the windows was as bright as the sun to her un-suspecting pupils. She looked over at Beth's bed to see her daughter was still fast asleep. Quinn remembered Beth had said something about not feeling well last night, so she figured maybe she had a cold._

"_Wake up, Critter," Quinn said as she gently wiped some curls out of Beth's eyes. As soon as her hand touched the girl's forehead she noticed it was scolding hot._

_Beth opened one eye then the other. "I so tired," she said, her voice raspy and forced._

"_Your forehead is hot. Do you feel sick?" Quinn asked._

_Weakly, Beth nodded her head. "I's too tired to move my body."_

"_Maybe you have the flu," Quinn suggested. "Mommy will just go into the kitchen and get a wet rag for your forehead."_

_When Quinn came back into the room Beth had already fallen back asleep. She looked down at Beth to see she was ghostly pale, which was abnormal since she had inherited Puck's naturally tan skin. She laid the wet rag across her daughter's fevered forehead and kissed her before quietly sneaking out of the room._

_Quinn was able to finish her English paper as well as fold the laundry before Beth woke up again. She took her temperature and was a bit worried when it was 101 degrees. Because Beth was too weak to even get out of bed, Quinn brought her a bowl of chicken-noodle soup and fed her in bed._

_Beth fell back asleep and this time when she awoke, her fever had risen to 103. Quinn knew she needed to get her daughter to the emergency room; she had never seen her fever spike so fast._

_As Quinn was helping her feeble daughter get dressed, she noticed a bruise on Beth's leg that was almost the length of her entire thigh. It was purple and blue and very alarming._

"_Bethy, how did you get this bruise?" she questioned._

"_I bumped it on the table last night on my way to bed."_

"_Did you hit it hard?"_

"_No, I didn't even cries," Beth answered._

_Quinn scrunched up her forehead. How could her daughter have gotten such a big bruise from bumping it on a table? Suddenly, Quinn began to panic that maybe Beth had more than just the flu._

_She called Finn at work and told him to meet her at the emergency room before picking four-year-old Beth up and carrying her out to the car._

_They arrived at the hospital in record time. Quinn had to set Beth down to sign her in at the reception desk. It only took two minutes but by the time she picked her daughter up again she was exhausted from standing for so long. Quinn took a seat and Beth cuddled into her lap, resting her head on Quinn's breast and holding on tightly to her stuffed lamb._

_A couple minutes later the automatic doors of the emergency room opened and Finn fumbled in. When he saw Quinn he rushed over to her side._

"_Daddy, I feels awful," Beth said when she saw her father._

"_I know, but you'll be better soon," Finn hoped._

_Beth's sweaty curls were sticking to her forehead so Quinn grabbed a bobby-pin from her purse and clipped them back out of the way._

"_Elizabeth Renee Hudson," a nurse called a few minutes later. Finn picked Beth up from Quinn's lap and carried her to the nurse, Quinn right behind him. The nurse proceeded to take them into a small room and ask them some questions before leading them into an exam room._

"_A doctor should be right with you," the nurse said before leaving, closing the door behind her._

_Finn laid Beth down on the exam table. Quinn took one of her tiny hands and began to rub soothing circles on the little girl's palm. They sat in silence for an agonizing ten minutes before the doctor finally showed up._

"_Hello, I'm Dr. Lansing," she said with a smile, "what seems to be the problem?"_

_Quinn explained to her what was going on, listing Beth's symptoms and showing her the bruise. Dr. Lansing did a flu swab as well as a blood test to see if she was anemic._

_They had to wait another hour for the results to come back. Beth had fallen asleep on the table. Finn and Quinn just sat in their chairs, their fingers interlocked but they didn't dare speak. They were afraid anything they said would jinx them, so they stayed silent and thought about the fact that their worst fear may be coming true._

_When the results came back, it turned out Beth was, in fact, anemic. Dr. Lansing explained that the next thing to do was to find out what was causing the anemia. She made Beth an appointment with a pediatric oncologist and Quinn remembered thinking, 'An oncologist, that's weird. Aren't they cancer doctors?' Then the realization hit her like a train._

"_You, you think she might have cancer?" she whispered, like it was a cussword and she didn't want to say it loud enough for Beth to hear._

"_There's a possibility," Dr. Lansing answered honestly. "But this meeting with the oncologist is really just to rule it out. I wouldn't worry about it too much."_

_But asking a mom not to worry about her sick child was like asking the sun not to shine or the moon not to glow; it was pointless. And in the end, all the worrying wasn't for nothing because it turned out Beth did have cancer and Quinn remembered looking out the window, wondering how the sun could shine on such a horrible day._

"Mama, are you okay?" Quinn snapped out of her thoughts when she heard Beth's soft voice. "You look tired."

Quinn rubbed her eyes like it would do something to take the exhaustion away. "Yea, Critter, I'm okay," she answered.

"I colored you a picture." She smiled proudly as she held the picture up for her mom to see. It was a picture of her and her mom and dad standing in a field, holding hands.

"It's beautiful." Quinn bent down and gave her daughter a hug. "I love you, Beth."

"I love you, too, Mama."

X-X-X-X-X

"Bethy, can you come sit down at the table? Mommy and Daddy have to tell you something." Quinn and Finn were sitting at the wooden table that sat in the middle of their small kitchen. Beth, who was playing with her dollhouse in the next room, nodded before striding over and taking a seat across from her parents.

"You know how we talked to Dr. Cohen a couple days ago?" Quinn started.

"Uh-huh."

"Well, he told us that there may be a way to put you into remission again."

"Really?" marveled Beth. Her hazel eyes shone with enthusiasm and the prospect of getting to go to school and wear that pink backpack.

"It's called a bone-marrow transplant," Finn explained.

"But there's one thing…" Quinn added.

"What is it?"

"You would have to do another round of chemo. I'm sorry, baby." Quinn reached her hand out and put it on top of Beth's, squeezing lightly. She knew, as hard as it was for her to watch Beth go through chemo, it was even harder for her daughter. She was the one who lost her hair and appetite. Who threw up every day from the medicine and felt sick all the time. Who people stared at in public. Who could die from something as simple as a cold.

Beth's full, pink lips were turned downwards in a slight frown. She looked up at the ceiling, thinking about everything her parents had just told her. "If I do this, can I have a castle jumpy house at my princess birthday party next month?" Beth wondered.

Quinn looked over at Finn with concern. She really wanted to give Beth everything she wanted and deserved for her birthday, but with all the money troubles they were having, she wasn't sure they could afford a bouncy house.

"We'll…see what we can do," Finn answered hesitantly.

"And then, after this is overs I will gets my hair back and get to go to school?" A little glimmer of hope shone in Beth's eyes.

"Uh-huh," Quinn said. She knew she probably shouldn't have promised something she will have no control over, but she needed to give her daughter something to look forward to in life besides doctor and hospital visits.

That night, Quinn was sitting in bed, bills scattered all around her. She was hard at work, punching numbers into her calculator over and over again to see how they would afford to pay for everything.

"Grrr," she grunted as she took her glasses off and threw them down on the bed.

"You okay in there?" Finn asked. His head popped out from the bathroom where he was washing his face.

"I just don't know how we're going to do this, Finn," she sighed. "Our medical insurance sucks so we're going to be paying so much more with this new treatment and, unless we're going to starve ourselves for an entire year, we can't afford it."

"Everything will be okay," Finn assured as he climbed onto the other side of the bed.

"I'm so sick of all your 'everything will be okays'," Quinn huffed. "What if they aren't okay? What if something happens and it's not okay? What then?"

"Then we deal with it when we get there," he shrugged.

Quinn turned and looked at Finn, her heart breaking into a million little pieces like glass shattering from a broken mirror. He looked so lost, so unsure of what to do. He wasn't (and still isn't) ready for any of this. And he shouldn't have had to be, if she had just told the truth from the beginning. What kind of person is she to take away his teenage years? The best years of your life, people always say. She had stolen that from him. She made him grow up faster than he should have and now the result is something of a puzzle- still the confused and clueless high school boy, yet now a hard-working and dedicated father. He tries so hard to be there for her, to say the right things, and to be the man he should be, but he doesn't know how. Quinn knows it's not his fault, but lately it's like every little thing he does gets on her nerves. The spark in his eyes has vanished completely. He doesn't even look at her the same way he used to.

She knows the only reason they're still together is for Beth. After everything's she's gone through, they cannot break up the only true family she's ever known. So here they are, stuck a black hole they can't seem to get out of.

"Why can't you ever take anything seriously?" she scolded

"Why can't you ever just relax?"

"Because our daughter in dying for Christ's sake and we can't afford to keep her alive!" Quinn yelled as loudly as she could without worrying about waking Beth up.

"Quinn, you know there are people who will help. No one is going to let Beth die."

"I don't want their charity. Do you know how bad that makes me look? I can just hear everyone whispering, 'oh, you know Quinn Fabray, I hear she can't even afford her own kid. Should have given her up after all, at least the girl would have had a chance'."

"Who cares what other people think?"

"I do!" Quinn's face was flushed with anger. Why couldn't Finn just understand where she was coming from?

"No one thinks you're a bad mom."

"You don't know that."

"Fine, Quinn, what do you want me to say? I'm the man here. I'm supposed to be providing for this family but I can't. How do you think that makes _me _look?" Finn looked at her, his eyes tired and defeated. She knew she made him feel worthless and she hated herself for that.

Quinn sighed as she leaned forward, resting her elbows on her knees and putting her head in her hands. "It wasn't supposed to turn out like this."

Tears began to form in her eyes. "Do you love me, Finn? Like, do you really love me? The way you used to back in high school."

He took time to consider this before he answered. "I love you, Quinn. I always will."

"That's not what I'm asking."

"I…Beth…" was all he said and Quinn knew his answer was 'no'.

Quinn bit down on her lip, trying to keep the tears from falling. She collected all the bills and placed them in a wicker basket before pulling down the covers and slipping under their warmth.

"Quinn."

"Yeah?"

"I'm sorry."

"Me too, Finn."

And the last thing she thought about before she went to sleep is that she was too young to be so broken.

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	3. Let the Truth Sing

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><p><span>Chapter three: Let the Truth Sing <span>

After a very long and stressful week it was finally time for Quinn and Finn to hear if they would be a match for Beth's transplant or not. Quinn had been on the verge of pulling all her hair out because she knew it could be the day her whole life got turned upside down. This could possibly be the day Finn found out the whole truth.

The appointment was a bit later so Quinn and Finn didn't have to take off work again. Carol and Burt had prior arrangements with some friends, so Quinn asked the teenager, Olivia, from the floor below to babysit. She had babysat Beth a few times before and the little girl had been wondering when she would get to see Olivia again, so Quinn thought it was perfect.

Quinn had just finished making Beth's dinner of chicken nuggets and broccoli when Olivia arrived. She didn't have to explain much to the teenager since she had already babysat before so she kissed Beth good-bye and left for the office.

Out of nervousness, Quinn's foot shook wildly while she was sitting in the waiting room. She knew she was being selfish because she was more worried about Finn finding out her secret than finding a match for Beth's transplant. _Maybe it would be for the best if he found out, _Quinn thought. _It could push us to get out of this lifeless and dead relationship we're both stuck in._

A couple minutes later Finn arrived from work and took the seat next to her. She was about to scold him for coming straight from work and looking dirty with car grease all over his shirt, but she thought better of it and just sat quietly. Neither adult spoke a word to one another the whole wait. Quinn knew there was still a lot of tension between the two about the other night.

Ashley came to the door and, with her award-winning smile plastered on her face, led them back to Dr. Cohen's office. Quinn and Finn took their usual seats in front of the elder gentlemen. Quinn felt like she was back in elementary school and had done something wrong and now had to see the principal for her punishment. Even though she was much bigger than she was back then, she felt very small and powerless sitting in her chair.

"Hello you two," Dr. Cohen greeted with a warm smile. "How has Beth been this past week? Nothing bad I hope?"

"Doing better every day," Quinn answered.

"Great," he smiled. "Now, let's get down to the reason you two are here today." Dr. Cohen suddenly became very serious, which scared Quinn a bit. "I got the test results back and Miss Fabray, it turns out you are not a match for Beth's marrow."

Quinn sighed loudly as she hung her head and brought her hand up to her forehead. She knew she was done for. "Alright, well, is…is Finn?" Her final hope was that by some freak chance Finn was, in fact, a match even though he wasn't blood related to Beth.

"That's what I wanted to talk about. Finn, I know you want to help and all, but it would be best if we could see if Beth's biological father is a match. Do you all know where he is?"

Finn's face was that of utter confusion. Quinn tried her best to look confused, too, but it was so hard because her heart was beating a million miles per hour in her chest and her mind was going fuzzy. She knew she was done for.

"But I am Beth's biological father?" Finn said as more of a question than a statement.

Dr. Cohen looked from Finn's bewildered face to Quinn's apprehensive one. He glared at Quinn, hesitant about whether he should keep going or not. Quinn gave him a 'just go ahead and tell him it's going to happen anyway' look, so he cleared his throat before continuing.

"I'm sorry Mr. Hudson, but that is impossible."

"W…what do you mean it's impossible for my daughter to be my daughter?"

"Well, as it turns out your blood type is B while Miss Fabray's is type O. It would be impossible for you to be Beth's father because she is A positive, and the two of you are incapable of having a child with that blood type."

Finn had to take a few seconds to work everything out in his head before he looked over at Quinn.

"Who is the father?" he asked calmly, keeping his anger at bay.

"Finn…"

She could see anger seeping through his skin. His face was turning a pale pink and his eyes were beginning to bulge.

"Who is the father Quinn!" This time he yelled loudly, causing Quinn to flinch in her chair. Tears welled up in her eyes but she kept them at bay.

"Finn, can we talk about this at home? We're in public now." She tried to keep her composure cool and collected but in reality her voice was shaky and her breathing unsteady.

"No, I want to know now, Quinn!" He stood up from his chair. He wanted so badly to throw something or kick something over, but this wasn't his office or his things to damage. He grabbed the side of his head in frustration. He felt the room begin to spin and for a second he thought he might pass out. How could she have done this to him? Lied about Beth for so many years? How could he have been so stupid and believed her for so long?

"Just tell me who it is. Do I know him?"

"Finn, please," Quinn begged.

"I'm going to ask one more time calmly Quinn. Who. Is. It?"

Dr. Cohen sat at his desk watching the scene before him and feeling extremely awkward. Something like this had ever happened to him before in all his years of being a doctor and he wasn't quite sure how to react.

Quinn's eyes were fixated on the floor. She could no longer bear to look at Finn. Tears now flowed freely from her emerald eyes and she took a deep breath because she knew she had to answer and, this time, tell him the truth.

"Puck's the father," Quinn sobbed, almost inaudible.

Finn's head began spinning again. For a second he thought maybe he had heard Quinn wrong but then he thought about it. He thought about Beth's hazel eyes, her curly, dark hair, and her tan skin. He felt like such an idiot, and he wanted nothing more than to kick himself in the ass. Was he really so blind and naïve that he didn't notice or was he just lying to himself all these years so he didn't have to face the truth he had always known?

Unable to contain his anger now he kicked the wooden chair he had been sitting in. He turned to Quinn and looked at her, his stomach reeling. "You ruined my life," he said, "I hope it was worth it."

With those words said, Finn stormed out of the office. Quinn could hear his loud, angry footsteps as they stomped down the hall. She knew she didn't deserve to cry but that didn't stop the waterfall that was now pouring down her pale skin.

She couldn't look up at Dr. Cohen. She knew he was judging her for the lies and the outburst. He must think she is the most horrible woman on the planet. And maybe, well, maybe she is.

After she had calmed her crying and evened out her breathing to the best of her ability, she calmly stood from her chair. She did this slowly, though, because her entire body was shaking.

With her last shred of dignity she wiped a stray piece of blonde hair out of her eyes and turned to face Dr. Cohen. "I will, um, talk to Beth's father about the transplant," she said. He nodded at her. She then turned and left the office.

She tried to keep it together as much as she could as she quickly walked through the labyrinth of hallways and into the waiting room before heading out the door towards her car. As soon as she was inside she lost it. Loud sobs racked her whole body as she cried.

What was she going to tell Beth when she got home? How was she going to explain that her daddy wasn't coming home that night? Or that her daddy isn't actually her dad at all?

Back in high school, Quinn never thought about the ramifications her actions would bring about. She never thought that someday she would have to tell her child that she had been lied to her whole life, by her own mother, about who her father is. She didn't think about how hard it would be for Finn to raise and love a child only to find out it wasn't his. All she thought about was herself and that she needed an immediate excuse, excluding to think about long-term consequences.

She was ashamed and humiliated by the actions that led her to where she was and she honestly had no idea how she would fix any of it.

Would Finn still want to be a part of Beth's life? Quinn was afraid the answer was no and after everything her daughter had gone through she couldn't bear to take anything important away from her.

And how could she explain to Beth, an almost-six-year-old, that Finn was not actually her father? Quinn knew that when Beth grew up she would hold this against her. Her biggest fear as a mother was to turn out like her parents, but now it seems she's making more mistakes then even they did.

She had dug a very deep grave back in high school and now she was afraid it was too deep for her to ever get out.

Quinn, teary-eyed and sorrowful, looked up at the clock in her car and saw she had been crying in the parking lot for thirty minutes now. She figured she better go because she told Olivia she would be home by now. Composing herself as best as she could, she wiped her tear-stained face and put the car into reverse and drove home.

Quinn tried to make herself as presentable as possible before climbing out of her car but there was really nothing she could do about her red, puffy face or blood-shot eyes. Sighing, she lackadaisically walked up the three flights of stairs to her apartment and opened the door.

She smiled when she saw Olivia and Beth at the kitchen table, working on Beth's favorite Disney princess puzzle.

Quinn shut the door, causing the two girls to hear her and turn around.

"Mommy!" said Beth with excitement. She got up from the table and ran to her mom, giving her a hug and Quinn had to bite her lip to hold back tears. Seeing her daughter so happy and knowing soon she wouldn't be as happy, made her heart break inside her chest.

"Hi Critter, were you good for Olivia?"

"I was. I ated all my food and didn't talk back," Beth answered proudly.

"That's my girl," Quinn said, patting the top of Beth's bald head.

She then dug into her purse for some money for Olivia. She paid and thanked the teenager before seeing her to the front door.

While she was paying Olivia a sudden thought it her. What if Finn refused to support her and Beth financially anymore? There was no way that her paycheck at Breadstix and Puck's monthly money could pay for the transplant along with everything else her and Beth needed.

And what about Burt and Carol? They had been so good with helping out. Carol watched Beth every day for free while Quinn and Finn worked and they even helped out financially when things got tight. Would she have to add paying for a daily babysitter to her growing pile of things that she needed but couldn't afford?

"Mommy are you okay?" asked Beth, bringing Quinn back to reality.

She nodded as she looked down at her small daughter.

"Where's daddy?"

"He had to go up to Cinci to buy some car parts," Quinn lied, "He'll be back tomorrow."

Quinn hated that she was telling Beth more lies, but she knew this wasn't the time to tell her daughter everything. She had to think more about how she was going to do it.

One look at her daughter's large grin was enough to make Quinn want to cry. But she had to be strong for her daughter. She bit her lip even harder to keep the tears from falling.

"Mama, you're bleeding."

Quinn looked down and saw a small drop of blood coming from her lips. Unknowingly she had bitten her lip so hard that it left a small cut. She quickly wiped the droplet away.

"Are you sure you're not sick, Mama?" Beth wondered.

Quinn sighed as she nodded her head. Even as young as her daughter was she was able to read people so well that it amazed Quinn. One pause or hesitation is a word and Beth would always pick up on it.

"Maybe I'll go take a bath," Quinn said. "Will you be okay to finish your puzzle while I do that?"

Beth nodded. "I cans do it by myself."

"I know you can," Quinn said, smiling at her daughter. "I'll be in the bathroom if you need me, baby girl."

Quinn was grateful her daughter was so mature for her age. Quinn honestly was not sure where she got it, especially with Puck as her father. She thought it might have something to do with how grown up she had to be about her cancer and her treatments. It made Quinn sad that Beth's illness caused her to grow up faster than she needed to. But all the same, it seemed to work out for the better.

When she entered the bathroom, she turned on the water and let the tub fill. When it was about halfway she put some bubbles in it because they helped her relax more.

Before getting in the bath she turned and looked at herself in the mirror. Her face was still a bit splotchy from the crying and her eyes were still red. The bags under her eyes were larger than normal for someone her age and she swore, even though she's only twenty-two, that she saw a gray hair at the root.

It was true, though, that she still looked like the beauty queen she did back in high school. She had managed to keep her body slim- mostly due to worrying herself sick these past two years. Her blonde hair was still easily manageable and although her face had aged a bit more than she liked, it was still youthful and as gorgeous as ever.

She sighed as she turned away from the mirror, not able to look at herself any longer. Right now, as pretty as she was, the sight of herself in the mirror revolted her. When she looked in the mirror she didn't see the pretty face, but the face of a monster staring back at her. That was all she was now.

Wiping a tear from her eye she discarded her clothes and sank into her bubble bath. She really needed some time to gather her thoughts and reflect the events of the day in quiet. She was desperate to find a way out of this mess that was her life.

She thought briefly about her relationship with Finn the past six years. At its best it had been rocky. Their personalities and actions never seemed to synch with one another. It was rare when the two were on the same page because they always seemed to have differing opinions about everything. Quinn, who had a lot more common sense, liked to stop and think things through, while Finn did things immediately and thought afterwards. There is a saying that 'opposites attract' but Quinn wasn't so sure that was the case with her and Finn. The fact of the matter was that the only reason they stayed together for so long was because of Beth and her illness and Quinn was quite certain that if she had never gotten sick it would have ended a long time ago.

And it's not that she didn't love Finn; there would always be a piece of her heart, however small, that belonged to him. But the fact of the matter was that he just wasn't the type of man she wanted and needed in her life.

Quinn thought about Puck and the one regret she had always had about him was that she had never given him a chance. She can admit, now, that Puck would have stepped up to the plate had it come to that, but back in high school she was too stubborn to admit that she was wrong about anything.

She thought back to the time she should have given him a chance.

_ Quinn Fabray was sixteen years old and seven months pregnant. She was extremely hormonal and anything, no matter how small, could send her over the edge. _

_ Finn the 'father' and really the only person she had in her life had been ticking her off lately. He would rather spend his time playing video games than help her get the nursery ready. Somehow, he had convinced her that they should keep the baby, but lately she wasn't so sure. He had to step up and be a father to their unborn child to prove to Quinn he would be there when the baby came. _

_ Quinn had had a particularly bad day. She had started off the morning with a bright, cherry red slushie to the face. Unfortunately-or luckily-this happened enough for Quinn to know to always bring a change to clothes to school with her. _

_ After she had cleaned off she was late to her first period class where she was scolded in front of everyone by her temperamental geometry teacher, Mrs. Prince. _

_ Second period, in world history, she received a ten-page essay assignment about the 'change and continuities within the three periods of ancient Egyptian history' that was going to count for one-fourth of her final grade. _

_ In third period Spanish, Finn had come up with a whole bundle of ridiculous names for the baby including Orange ("Hey, if Gwyneth can name hers Apple, why can't we name ours Orange?") and Sandy ("That squirrel is the best SpongeBob character!"). By the end of that class Quinn was so annoyed with Finn that she didn't even go to the cafeteria for lunch because she wasn't in the mood to sit with him and the football jocks and pretend that their burping contests were funny. _

_ So instead, she made her way to the choir room thinking it would be empty. _

_ As she waddled down the hall and got closer, she could hear music coming from the room. Thinking it was probably Rachel Berry and not wanting to deal with a lecture from the diva she was about to turn around when she heard a husky, deep singing voice that was definitely not Rachel's. She recognized it as Puck's and instinctively moved closer to the choir room._

_ She instantly recognized the song he was singing as "Beth" by Kiss. Quinn had heard Finn listen to it a few times at his house and knew enough of the words to quietly sing along._

_ Quinn was at the door to the room now, which Puck had surprisingly left open (probably figuring everyone would be at lunch so he was safe). _

_ He effortlessly played the last few notes on the piano, holding a long note as he sang along to the music. The sound was sublime and Quinn found herself drawn into the song. She wished she would have arrived early enough to hear the whole thing. _

_ This kind of song was definitely different for Puck. Normally he sang songs that were more up-beat and lively but this song was slower and more heartfelt. Quinn thought it suited his voice nicely and brought out the best in his vocals._

_ When at last the song ended, Quinn clapped lightly which startled Puck and caused him to turn around. _

_ She gave him a slight smile. "That was really good. Well, I only heard the end but that was really amazing."_

_ He blushed a bit but kept his classic smirk on his face. "Thanks."_

_ "I'm kind of surprised to find you in here. Why aren't you eating lunch with the other jocks?" Quinn wondered._

_ Puck shrugged._

_ "Just felt like having some alone time."_

_ "Oh," Quinn said, suddenly aware he might not want her there. "I'll just leave then."_

_ She turned around but before she could leave he reached out and lightly grabbed her wrist. "Don't go," he said with a hint of desperation in his eyes. _

_ She nodded and turned back around to face him. He was still sitting on the piano bench and she looked down to see him staring at her gravid stomach. Instinctively her hand went to the bump and she rubbed soothing circles with her palm. _

_ He looked like he wanted to say something but his brain didn't quite know how to put it into words. She waited patiently and finally he opened his mouth to talk._

_ "I picked that song out because I…I wanted to sing it you anyway." There was so much vulnerability in the way he talked that it surprised her. It was definitely not something Puck was known for. "I've thought a lot about our…situation and I found this song that I think fits well and…well never mind it's stupid."_

_ Quinn quirked her perfectly shaped eyebrows at him and said, "No, tell me."_

_ "I just, well, I know you want to do this with Finn and well, but, she is my baby and I thought that maybe since I won't get to raise her or anything that maybe I could, well, I could suggest a name for her to have. Because I want to be a part of her somehow."_

_ Quinn's heart broke into a million pieces when she heard this. It was the first time she really realized that all this baby nonsense was affecting Puck just as much as her and Finn. _

_ "What…what did you want to name her?"_

_ "I was thinking Beth," he said, practically mumbling. "After this song."_

_ "I like the name Beth." She gave him a smile as tears formed in her eyes. Earlier this morning she had been upset because Finn wasn't taking the baby's name seriously. And now Puck was here and it was obvious he put a lot of thought into this name. _

_ "Really?"_

_ "Yea, it's a really beautiful name."_

_ She thought about it for another minute. "Maybe Elizabeth, Beth for short?"_

_ Puck's eyes were now twinkling like a Christmas light. "Yea, that's awesome."_

_ Quinn's stomach grumbled and it was then that she remembered she was hungry and should probably eat lunch. She walked over to one of the chairs in the front row and pulled out her sacked lunch._

_ "Play it for me while I eat?" she asked._

_ "Of course." Puck smirked at her as he popped his knuckles once before placing his fingers on the keys and starting the song. Quinn ate her lunch in happy silence as the words of the song swirled around her head and filled her insides with glee. _

As Quinn sat in the tub she wondered why she hadn't given Puck a chance after the encounter in the choir room, but then remembered that that was the day Finn had surprised her by completing the painting in the nursery. A part of her wished Finn never would have done that so she would have had a reason to give Puck the chance he deserved. But there was no going back in time and dwelling on the past was pointless.

Quinn laid her head back on the tub and closed her eyes, taking a deep, relaxing breath. She was on the verge of calming herself down when suddenly she heard a loud crash coming from the kitchen. She immediately shot up in the tub and jumped out, wrapping a towel around herself as she ran out of the bathroom, down the hall, and into the kitchen.

She screamed when she entered the kitchen and took in the scene in front of her. The refrigerator was door open. A stool from the counter had been placed in front of it, but it was knocked over onto its side. Next to the stool was Beth, lying unconscious on the floor.

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	4. Graced with Advice

**Thanks so much to everyone for the amazing reviews. They mean the world to me!**

**I'm giving a warning now that the next chapter might be a longer wait than usual. With summer reading and school starting on Monday I haven't had any time to write, but once I find a routine I will once again have the time and I promise not to get in the habit of taking a long time to update.**

**So here's chapter four. Enjoy!**

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><p><span>Chapter Four: Graced with Advice<span>

Quinn sat in the waiting room of the ER with her head in her hands. She had been in this position more times than a mother should ever be, but the difference was that this time it was her fault. She had left Beth, who was only five, unattended in the kitchen by herself. Beth is so mature that sometimes Quinn can forget how young and naïve she is.

Luckily, Beth had regained consciousness on the ambulance ride and was now in the emergency room while the doctor's examined her. From the scene she found, Quinn could gather Beth was trying to get something from the refrigerator and couldn't reach so she got the stool out, but ended up falling. She shuttered when the image of her baby girl lying unconscious on the floor filled her brain.

She sat with her cell phone in her hands, unconsciously tossing it back and forth between them. She was trying to decide if she should call Finn or not. She wasn't quite sure where he stood with the whole situation and especially with Beth. Knowing Finn she can hope he still wants to be a part of her life, but there's always a chance he won't.

She figured after everything she had done, she at least owed it to him to let him know. Gripping the arms of the chair, she pulled herself up to stand. Because she wanted some privacy, she walked to a deserted corner of the waiting room and dialed his number.

Unsurprisingly he did not pick up so she decided to leave a voicemail.

"Finn, I really hope you decide to listen to this," she started. "I know you're really mad at me right now and I know you deserve to be but I called to let you know that Beth fell and hit her head a little bit ago and is in the hospital now. She's back in the emergency room and I haven't gotten to talk to any doctors but I think she's going to be okay. Please come and see Beth, I know it would mean the world to her. No matter what any blood test says, Finn, you're her father and always will be. She loves you and I know you-" _beep_.

Quinn slowly closed her phone and sank into the chair next to her. She doubted that Finn would even listen to the message, but she hoped he did. She had meant what she said about him being Beth's true father. He had been there for the little girl through good times and through the many bad times she had had. She knew he wouldn't desert Beth now.

The copious amount of thoughts that were swimming through her head were broken when she heard her name being called across the room.

"Miss Fabray," the voice repeated.

Quinn looked up to see an older woman, in her mid-sixties probably, standing at a door with a piece of paper in her hand. She stood up and walked over to the woman.

"I'm Miss Fabray," Quinn stated.

The woman gave her a warm smile before saying, "follow me," and opening the door. Because she was older she walked a bit too slow for Quinn's taste but she didn't want to be a hassle so she stayed quiet and walked through the familiar halls of the ER.

The older woman came to a halt in a room that was filled with hospital beds, all separated by curtains that hung by the ceiling. She pulled back the curtains to the bed they had stopped in from of and Quinn saw Beth lying in it, asleep. She rushed to her daughter's side and quickly grabbed her tiny hand.

"She should be waking up any minute and the doctor will be in soon to explain everything," said the older woman, smiling gently.

"Thank you," Quinn said before turning her attention back on her daughter.

Her head was wrapped in a bandage, which worried Quinn, but she looked very peaceful in her sleep. Her face showed no signs that she was in a lot of pain.

No matter how many times Quinn saw her daughter in a hospital bed, it never got easier. She figured this could be close to the hundredth time she had sat by Beth's side as the little girl slept peacefully at the hospital, but her heart still ached inside her chest.

She gave Beth's hand a gentle squeeze as she sat and watched the rhythmic rise and fall of the little girl's chest as she slept.

A few minutes later Quinn watched as one of Beth's hazel eyes opened, followed by the other. At first she looked confused before she turned her head to see her mom sitting next to her, holding her hand.

"Mama," Beth said in a shaky voice as her lips turned up into a smile.

"I'm here Critter."

"I sorry I falled."

"Oh baby, mommy's not mad at you," Quinn said, wrapping her arms around her daughter and kissing her soft forehead. "What were you trying to get out of the refrigerator?"

"Tea for you," Beth answered. "I knewed you was sad and I thought maybe tea would help 'cause I know it's your favorite and I wanted yous to be happy."

It took everything Quinn had not to burst into tears right then and there. How had she been so lucky as to have ended up with the most perfect little girl in the world? She knew that, despite all these lies and mistakes surrounding her, she was at least doing something right.

"Oh, Bethy, thanks for thinking of me but I have told you a hundred times not to climb on those stools," Quinn said. She tried to sound more worried than accusatory or stern.

"I knows, I sorry."

Quinn gave her daughter a little squeeze to tell her it was okay.

A minute later the ER doctor opened the curtains and stepped inside before closing them again. She was reading something off her chart, not even looking at her patient before her. She was a middle-aged woman in about her forties but she seemed to be desperately holding onto her youth. Her blonde hair was obviously dyed and her body was too tan for this time of the year.

Finally she looked up from her chart. "Miss Fabray, I presume?"

Quinn nodded.

"I'm Dr. Rose and I'm here to tell you the results of Beth's tests," she said in almost a robotic tone. Most doctors and nurses Quinn had encountered (and believe her, it's been a lot) have been nice and smiley, but Dr. Rose was different. When she talked to you she seemed annoyed and bored like all this is common sense that one should already know.

"Okay," Quinn said when she noticed the doctor was waiting for some kind of response.

"It turns out Beth has suffered a pretty severe concussion. There's not much to do, though, but to wait for it to go away. I will prescribe her with some mild pain medicine, but other than that, all I ask is that you wake her up twice during the next three or so nights to make sure everything is going okay."

"I can do that," Quinn agreed. "So when can I take her home."

"As soon as you sign the discharge papers." Dr. Rose unclipped some papers from her chart and handed them to Quinn, along with a pen. Quinn filled them out while Beth rested some more.

She sighed when she got to the part about insurance and payment. Her and Finn had horrible insurance that left them paying for almost all of Beth's medical expenses. Add this hospital visit to the countless others and the ones to come and Quinn felt like she was literally drowning in hospital bills.

After finishing the papers she handed them to a nurse who fetched a wheelchair for Beth since it was standard policy for patients to leave in one.

Quinn helped her sleepy little girl into the chair before pushing her down the halls of the ER and finally out the large, front, double doors. She was almost to the parking lot when she heard a familiar voice calling her name. She turned to her left to see Finn running towards them.

X-X-X-X-X

After Finn left the doctor's office early that night he was livid. He had never been so mad in his entire life and he didn't know what to do with all the pent up anger in his body. He didn't like the feeling of being this mad and he wanted it to go away but he honestly didn't know if it ever would. Quinn had betrayed him in more than one way and had lied about it for six whole years.

He got into his truck and started up the car but suddenly realized he had nowhere to go. He obviously was not going to go back to the apartment because Quinn would be there and he just couldn't see her right now. The next best option was to go to his mom and Burt's house but then he would have to explain everything and he wasn't ready for that either. He decided to put the truck in reverse and just drive wherever the wind took him.

After thirty minutes of driving around he found himself feeling a bit calmer. He was in some other county by now and it was, surprisingly, smaller and less-civilized than Lima. He passed a gas station with a bar next to it and decided to go in and have a drink or two. Usually, he wasn't the kind of guy who liked to drown his sorrows in alcohol, but these were special circumstances. Besides, he didn't plan on getting drunk or anything since he still had to drive back to Lima that night. He figured he could just hang out at the bar until he knew his mom and Burt would be asleep so he could sleep there without any questions.

He climbed down from his truck and made his way into the bar. The lights were very dim and the place smelled like wood, alcohol, and smoke. There was soft music playing in the background that could be heard since the bar was not crowded. Mostly there were middle-aged men who stopped by the bar on their way home from work before going home to their families. _Well, _Finn thought, _at least they have a family to go home to._

He took a stool at the bar and waited patiently for the bartender.

"Hey there honey what can I get you?" Finn looked up to see a woman about his age standing behind the bar. She had chestnut curls that fell smoothly over her shoulder and a friendly, lip-glossed smile. The tight white shirt she was wearing hugged her breasts just the right way and her black apron was tied around her waist, showing off her perfect hips. Pinned on the left side of her shirt was a nametag that read 'Grayce'.

Finn noticed he was staring so he shook his head quickly before looking back up at her eyes this time- a deep sea of blue.

"I'll, uh, I'll just have a beer," he answered.

"Coming right up," she said cheerfully as she disappeared behind a door.

She came back a second later chuckling. "I forgot to ask you what kind of beer," she said slapping her forehead. "It's only my second day of work," she added.

Finn gave her a weak smile. "Bud Light is fine."

"Alrighty!"

She disappeared again and Finn pulled out his cell phone and began scrolling through his contacts. He tried to think of anyone he could call to talk to about his problem, but realized there really wasn't anyone. Puck, of course, would be the one he would normally go to in these types of situations but due to the circumstances he never wanted to talk to his best friend again.

He could always try Kurt. The two had grown closer once their parents got married and Kurt began crushing on someone else. But Kurt was very busy lately with fashion school in New York and hardly had time to talk.

After deciding there was no one he really wanted to talk to he slammed his phone on the bar, a bit more forceful than he intended.

"Bad day?" Grayce asked as she opened his beer and set it on the bar.

"Horrible day," he corrected.

"Aw, I'm sorry sweetie. Girl troubles?"

"Yea, you could say that."

She looked around the almost empty bar. "My break is in five minutes if you want to talk to someone about it."

Finn thought about it and figured it would probably be easier to dump all his problems on a complete stranger rather than someone he knew. "Yea, that'd be cool."

"Great." She smiled at him before walking back down the bar to take another order.

For the next five minutes Finn just sat and sipped his beer, thinking about everything that had happened that day. He still felt angry but now he was starting to feel a bit of relief as well.

After five minutes had passed, Grayce was sitting on the stool next to him. "Okay, go," she encouraged with a warm smile.

"Where to begin?" mumbled Finn. "I guess I'll start with high school," he decided.

He went through the whole story, starting with high school and going through graduation, Quinn's college, Beth's cancer, their money problems, and finally ending with the events that had transpired earlier that night. Grayce seemed to hang onto every single word he said, nodding in all the right places and giving him reassuring smiles as he talked.

He had to admit that it felt good to finally get all his feelings out into the open. He wasn't the kind of man to complain or talk about things to others, so this was all new to him.

When he looked up at the clock and noticed he had been talking for the better part of twenty minutes he felt a pang of guilt. "Sorry I, uh, talked so long," he said, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly.

"Don't apologize, honey, I'm the one who offered," Grayce reassured him.

"So what do you think?" Finn wondered.

She thought about his question for a while, her forehead scrunched up in concentration. A couple of times she opened her mouth but shut it before anything came out.

"Look, I only know your side of the story and even then I probably don't know everything," she started, "But it seems to me that you and Quinn settled for one another back in high school because you had to. You all started dating based on popularity and not on feelings thinking it wasn't going to last past high school and once she got pregnant you all found yourselves stuck. Honestly, I think finding out the truth is good for you because now you're free to go out and find your true soul mate."

"Yea, I guess you're right," Finn said but he didn't sound completely convinced.

Grayce sighed and set her water on the table.

"Let me ask you a question. Why did you and Quinn never get married?"

Finn was a little caught off guard by her question because he honestly hadn't ever given it much thought.

"Well, it just never seemed like the right time," he answered. "First Quinn was busy with school and then Beth got sick and, I don't know, I just never got around to asking."

"You never got around to it because you were too preoccupied or because you knew if it happened you'd really be stuck with Quinn forever?"

"Honestly, I've never really thought about the reason."

"Ah, that'd be your subconscious making decisions for you without you even realizing," she said, smiling slyly. "Funny how it works."

"You're really good at this. It's like you're in my head or something."

"I've had a bit of practice," she admitted. "I was a Psychology major in college before I, uh, had to drop out."

Before Finn could ask her why she had to drop out, his phone began to ring. He looked at the screen to see it was Quinn who was calling.

"It's Quinn, what should I do?" he asked Grayce.

"Let it go to voice mail and see if she leaves anything."

Finn did as he was told and sure enough Quinn had left a voice mail.

"Now you can listen to what she has to say without getting into an argument," Grayce explained.

"Good idea."

Finn listened to Quinn's voicemail and his face literally dropped. How could Beth already be back at the hospital?

"It's Beth, she's in the hospital. She hit her head or something," Finn explained in a panic.

"Well go and see her!" Grayce urged. "She needs her daddy."

"Yea, I will," Finn decided as he took one last swig of his beer.

He gave Grayce a hurried hug. "Thanks for everything. Really."

"Anytime big boy," she smiled.

Finn practically ran to his car because he knew he was over thirty minutes away from the hospital. The whole drive to the hospital the words Quinn said in the voicemail continued to ring in his ears_. No matter what any blood test says, Finn, you're her father and always will be, _she had said. He knew these wordswere genuine or else she wouldn't have bothered to call him at all.

He loved Beth more than anything in the world and he wasn't going to give up on her just because she wasn't his flesh and blood. He was the one who had changed her diapers, given up college to support her, and held her hand in the hospital as chemotherapy drugs coursed through her body making her sick and fragile. He's the one who held her as she cried when her curls began to fall out or when she caught a cold and nearly died from it. Finn knew it was these actions that made him Beth's father and that was something no one- not even Puck- could take from him.

He got to the hospital as fast as possible and once he entered the parking lot he saw Quinn wheeling Beth out the front door. He parked quickly before jumping out of his car and running over towards them, yelling Quinn's name to get her attention.

"Finn?" she said in disbelief. "I didn't think you'd come."

"Of course I did," he said, smiling at Beth. "I'm always here for my Princess."

"Daddy, I falled and hit my head," Beth explained. "I gots a bandage around it so it gets better, though." She pointed to the white bandage that was wrapped around her head. "It's like a mummy," she giggled.

"It is like a mummy," he chuckled. He bent down and kissed her bandaged head before standing up and turning to Quinn. "Is she going to be okay?"

"She'll be fine, just a concussion," Quinn answered. "All we can do it wait for it to go away and make sure she doesn't hurt it again while we're waiting."

He nodded a bit awkwardly. "Well, I guess I'll come home tonight and help you take care of her and I'll just sleep on the couch in the den."

"That'd be nice," Quinn answered.

He helped Beth into Quinn's car before going over to his own truck and driving to the apartment. He definitely hadn't planned on sleeping there that night, but plans had changed and he wanted to be around if anything else happened to Beth.

It was late, almost two in the morning when they got home. Beth had fallen asleep in the car so Finn carried her up the stairs and into her bedroom before laying her gently on her bed.

He was getting his blankets and everything situated on the couch when Quinn walked in. "Finn, I just…" she said weakly before trailing off. "I just want you to know how sorry I am."

"I know," Finn said as he smoothed his blanket. "But I still need time before we really talk about this."

Quinn nodded as she turned to head to their bedroom. She turned around and whispered a 'good night' before continuing on her way.

"Good night," he said quietly even though he knew she couldn't hear him. He set his alarm for five so he could wake up Beth like the doctor had ordered. It took him a while to fall asleep with so many things racing through his head. He thought about Grayce and her advice and how he had never been so happy with himself for going to a bar.

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><p><strong>Review :)<strong>


	5. Home, Sweet Home

**So, uh, six months later, here we are! I apologize furiously for taking a six month break, but I had a lot of original stories to write for college scholarships and I just didn't have the time for both. But alas, I am back now!**

**Since this is now my only story I am going to try my best to get an update about once a week (except next week because I leave tomorrow for a week-long mission trip) but after that I am going to really try and get one once a week. **

**And since I am leaving tomorrow this chapter has not been beta'd or anything because I wanted to get it to you all before I left. I hope at least someone is still interested in reading this after so long. Thanks so much and remember to review!**

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><p><span>Chapter Five: Home, Sweet Home<span>

The next morning Quinn called in sick for work so she could stay with Beth for the day and make sure nothing went wrong. When she walked into the kitchen there was a note on the counter from Finn saying that he had already left for work. Quinn sighed. She wished she could think of some kind of way to tell Finn how sorry she was.

She got out the pancake mix and some chocolate chips, mixing them together in a bowl and starting the stove. Chocolate chip pancakes were Beth's favorite breakfast food, and she liked to make them for her daughter when she was sick.

When they were done Quinn put them on a plate with some syrup and grapes, and poured a sippy cup full of milk and brought the breakfast back to Beth's room. The little girl was sleeping so soundly that Quinn hated to wake her up, but she had to listen to the doctor's instructions.

"Wakey, wakey, baby girl," Quinn said as she walked into Beth's room. She set the food on the nightstand and walked over to the bed, sitting on the edge. "Time to wake up, Critter."

"I's tired," Beth said, keeping her eyes glued shut and not moving.

"I know you are, but you have to wake up for a little while," Quinn explained. When Beth still didn't move she had to go to plan B. She lifted the end of the covers and grabbed Beth's little feet before tickling the bottom. Beth flailed her arms wildly and giggled.

"That's no fair," she said.

"Come on, I made you chocolate chip pancakes," Quinn bribed.

"Oh fine," Beth said as she sat up on her bed. She fixed her pillow against the backboard and sat up straight.

"Try not to spill anything," Quinn said as she handed her daughter the plate of food and sippy cup. Beth dug in and cleaned her whole plate it ten minutes.

"Mommy can I watch cartoons now?" Beth asked.

"Sure baby." Quinn picked her daughter up, sat her on her hip, and carried her to the living room. She knew she didn't need to baby Beth as much as she did, but she just couldn't help it. After turning on cartoons for Beth she walked into the next room where the she could still see the little girl, but could make a private phone call.

She took a deep breath before dialing Puck's number. It rang several times before the other line finally picked up. "Quinn?"

"Hi Puck," she said.

"Is something wrong? Is Beth okay?" he wondered. He sounded worried, as he should. Quinn and Puck rarely talked on the phone unless something was really wrong.

Before Quinn knew it, she had burst into tears. Because of Beth's injury she never got time to let what happened between her and Finn sink in, and now it was hitting her hard.

"Quinn is everything okay? Please answer," Puck begged.

"Beth…Beth is okay," she answered. "She fell last night and hit her head. She had to go to the hospital; she had a concussion, but she's home now and doing fine."

"If it's not Beth than what is it?"

"It's, well, Finn found out…yesterday. I figured you deserved to know in case he calls you or something. But don't worry, when he talks to me again I'm going to make sure he knows none of this was your fault. I don't want to ruin your alls friendship because of something I forced you to do. It's not fair." Quinn was crying harder than ever now. This was the first time she was admitting her mistakes out loud, and it made everything feel real. The hurt she was and had caused everyone was astronomical, and so much to bare.

"Are you…okay? Does Beth know?"

"No, I'm not okay," Quinn said almost laughing through her sobbing. "I am a mess. But I don't want you feeling sorry for me. I brought all of this upon myself. And no, Beth doesn't know yet. I have to wait until the right time to tell her."

"You were just doing what you thought was best at the time, Quinn. You could never have known it was going to turn out like this."

Quinn almost fell over. When did Puck become the voice of reason? When did he become the one who knew all the right things to say? Even though what he was saying was true, it didn't ease Quinn's conscience much.

"How do I make it right, Puck?" It's not like she was asking, or begging even, but pleading for some kind of answer. There had to be something she could do.

"You do whatever you can to help Beth get better. That's all you need to be focusing on. Beth is what's important."

Hearing Puck say this was like a kick in the guts. She had been a horrible mother to Beth lately, more consumed in her own pain than in her daughter's. Wasn't that the first rule of motherhood? You always come second to your child. But it is hard when your child is constantly suffering, and you are constantly giving yourself to them. Not that Quinn was trying to make excuses, but being a teenage mother to a little girl with cancer was hard. More than hard, really.

"Quinn are you there?" Puck asked, breaking her from her trance.

"Yea, sorry. You're right that is what I need to be focusing on. That's all that matters is that Beth gets better. Everything can wait until after that."

"Right, which is why I'll be there by tomorrow," Puck said.

"What?"

"You said Finn found out, right? Which means that you're not a match, which means I need to come to Lima to see if I am a match."

"Oh, I guess you're right. Sorry, I've sort of been out of it today."

Quinn had just noticed that somewhere during the conversation she had stopped crying. Something about Puck made her feel like everything was going to be okay. She knew she didn't feel that way about Finn.

"You better get some rest, then. I will see you tomorrow."

"Okay, see you then."

She hung up the phone and headed to the bathroom where she washed her red and swollen face. Once she looked like nothing was wrong she went back into the living room and sat on the couch next to Beth.

"Who was on the phone?" Beth wondered.

"Uncle Puck, actually," Quinn said. "He is coming tomorrow for a visit. Isn't that exciting?"

"Yea, I love when he comes and visits me," Beth said, smiling.

"Good. What are you watching?"

"Snow White," Beth answered.

"That's a good one," Quinn said grinning as she snuggled in closer to her daughter. Before long the two of them had fallen asleep, lying together on the couch, exhausted from things they shouldn't be dealing with.

X-X-X-X-X

After Puck hung up with Quinn he immediately jumped off the couch and headed to his room to pack. He had been waiting for this moment for six years and there was no way he was missing his chance. He threw a lot of random items into his duffel bag before grabbing his car keys and leaving his room.

"Going somewhere?" Chris, who was in their small kitchen making a filet, asked.

"Yea, I'm going home for a couple of days," Puck answered.

"You know we have practice, right man?"

"Family emergency. Bye," was all the explanation Puck gave before heading out the apartment door. He had to stop for gas before hitting the road. He had a long four hour drive ahead of him, which meant a lot of time to think. He thought about the last time he came on a spontaneous visit to Lima.

_Nineteen-year-old Puck was sitting in class one day when he saw his phone light up, an indication he had received a text message. His mouth upturned into a smile when he saw it was from Quinn. He was also quite curious because he couldn't remember the last time Quinn had ever texted him. _

_**Come home this weekend? Finn's out of town and I could really use someone to talk to. Plus, Beth misses you. **_

_ Puck chuckled. She knew if she couldn't get him to come for her then surely he would come for Beth. He texted her back, saying he would be there. _

_ On the drive up he thought about the reason she was asking him to come by. This was the only time she ever had. She was firm in her standing that Finn was the one she had chosen to be with and to raise Beth. _

_ He didn't get there until later when Beth was already asleep in her bedroom. He stopped at a gas station on the way and bought a six-pack of beer and a bottle of wine. He figured he could at least make the night more interesting._

_ "So where is Finn?" Puck asked as he poured Quinn her first glass of wine. _

_ "At some car show with Burt in Cleveland," Quinn answered._

_ He set the glass of wine down in front of her at the kitchen table and joined her with his beer. "So what is it that you wanted to talk about?"_

_ "I think Finn and I are going to break up," she blurted out._

_ He raised his eyebrows in suspicion. _

_ "Things have just…been really bad lately. We fight all the time about dumb things that don't matter. I can see in his eyes he doesn't feel the same about me, and I know I don't about him. It's been hard."_

_ He reached across the table and grabbed her hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. "Why are you telling me all this?"_

_ "Because I didn't have anyone else to talk to," she said, her lips shaking and tears forming in her emerald eyes. "And because I know why I don't love Finn anymore."_

_ "Why?"_

_ "It's because I love you still."_

_ Puck's mind was reeling. This came so far out of nowhere that he didn't really know how to react. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. He had always loved Quinn, since the day he met her he was pretty sure. Until now, he never thought she would or had returned the favor. _

_ "Still?" he asked. "You loved me before?"_

_ "I did," she said, a gentle and reminiscent smile on her face. "I was wrong not to choose you and let you be there for me when I was pregnant. But everything was so scary back then, so I chose the easiest way out. I know now that what I did was completely and totally wrong and messed up. I understand if you don't feel the same about me. I don't think I would if I were you."_

_ "I do…feel the same way, Quinn."_

_ "You do?"_

_ "I was never mad at you. Hurt? Yes. I felt worthless for you choosing Finn over me, but I never resented you for it. I understood why you made the decision. I understand you, Quinn, the way your mind works. I knew one day you would come to your senses; I just didn't know it would take almost four years."_

_ "I'm so sorry, Puck," she said, tears rolling down her cheeks now. Puck stood from his chair and walked to where she was sitting. He took her hand, stood her up from her chair and looked her in the eyes. _

_ "Everything has been forgiven," he promised, wiping the tears away from her eyes. He led her to the couch where they continued to talk as he downed his beers and her the wine bottle. Things were getting fuzzy for the both of them as the night wore on. She was a light-weight, always had been, so he knew she was worse off than him. _

_ He could smell the fruity wine in her breath as they talked, their mouths moving ever closer. Suddenly Quinn pulled away and stood up, unsteady at first before catching her balance. She giggled before walking over to the stereo. _

_ "We need some music to dance to," she explained. Quinn hit the button and turned on some Neil Diamond before turning to Puck, offering her hand out. "May I have this dance?"_

_ He shook his head, laughing at her before taking her hand and joining her in the middle of the living room floor. He settled his left hand gingerly on her hip and interlocked his right hand's fingers with hers. They moved slowly and in small steps since they were both feeling dizzy and hot from the alcohol. It was not in tune with the music at all, but Puck wasn't even sure he heard the music. She settled her head on his shoulders and the feeling of her hot breath on his neck made him shudder. Before he knew it, her lips connected with his neck as she kissed and sucked slightly. He had been with an uncountable number of girls in the past two years, but not one of them made him feel the way he was feeling at that moment. _

_ She kissed up his neck to his chiseled jaw until she reached his lips and kissed him passionately. Her lips tasted like strawberries and heaven and he couldn't get enough. His tongue hungrily begged for entrance to her mouth, with she accepted with vigor. It wasn't until they were both gasping for breath that they finally pulled away. Puck went directly to her neck, sucking, biting, kissing, listening to her elicit moan after moan, turning him on even more. His hands snaked up her back, feeling the softness of her bare skin and making him shiver. He went to the bottom of the shirt and pulled it over her head. _

_ "Are you sure about this?" he asked. He wanted to make sure she knew they weren't just going this because they were drunk, but because it's what both of them wanted to do. _

_ "Please," was all she said as she yanked on his belt buckle. He smiled into their kiss and happily obliged. _

Puck smirked to himself as he thought back to that night two years ago. It was the best night of his entire life, even better than the one back in high school when Beth was conceived. It was so effortless, so sublime. Fuck, he wanted that to happen again.

As timing worked out, though, it was only a month later that Beth had gotten sick. Quinn told Puck there was no way her and Finn could break up then, no matter how miserable they were together. Beth had a long fight ahead of her and she didn't need the added stress of her parents breaking up. Puck was miserable when he heard the news, but he understood. Above everything else, Beth came first.

Now this weekend could be his second chance…or his third chance really. He could be there for Beth and woo Quinn all at the same time. Everything was win/win. Except for maybe his coach's reaction when he realized Puck was going to be missing practice. But he could worry about that later.

He arrived in Lima in record time, not stopping even once to go to the restroom. He pulled into the driveway of his familiar, childhood home. It was a small, split-level house. Since he left, the outside didn't look as nice because he had done all the yard work, but it wasn't trash either. His mom, Gina, had worked hard to make sure they didn't live in trash.

He walked up to the front porch and rang the doorbell. When his mom opened the door she let out a little squeal before enveloping her son in an airtight hug.

"Noah, what are you doing here?" she asked, cupping her son's cheeks in her hands and smiling wide, her hazel eyes shining.

"There's some stuff here I need to take care of," he answered.

"Like what kind of stuff?" she wondered.

"Can I come in, mom, before we start the interrogations?"

She sighed, smiling at her son. "Come on in."

He picked his bag up off the ground and carried it inside, setting it down on the couch before sinking into it himself. "Is Kylie home?" he wondered. Kylie was his sixteen-year-old sister. They were both stubborn and constantly on one another, but they loved it that way and it kept things fun.

"She's at cheerleading practice. She'll be home soon," Gina answered.

"Sweet. I'm gonna go to the bathroom then I'll explain everything to you," Puck promised before getting up off the couch.

While in the bathroom he tried to calm down and collect his thoughts. How was he about to tell his mom the whole situation with him, Quinn, and Beth? He had absolutely no idea how she was going to handle it. He took a deep breath before flushing the toilet, washing his hands, and heading back out to the family room where she was waiting.

He put his hands in his pockets and stood in front of her on the couch. "Ma, there's something I need to tell you?"

"Are you in trouble Noah?" Her face was full of worry, a look Puck all too familiar to Puck, especially from his high school years.

"Not exactly," he said. "Well, uh, you know how Finn and Quinn have a six-year-old daughter named, Beth?"

"Yes," she said, nodding. "But what does this have to do with you?"

"Well, Beth isn't, uh, technically Finn's daughter. She's, uh mine." Puck nervously rubbed the back of his neck as he watched his mom's face turn to that of utter disbelief. He couldn't tell whether she was mad, disappointed, or just plain shocked. He guessed it was the latter…for now.

"What do you mean?" Gina asked when she could finally get words out.

"I mean all this time Beth has really been my daughter. It's…complicated. Technically she was still dating Finn when she got pregnant, so it was easier for her to pretend it was his, so that's what she did. I wasn't happy about it, but I respected her decision. I'm sorry I never told you."

"Well you should be," Gina said.

Puck hung his head in shame. He hated disappointing his mother more than anything else in the world. She had sacrificed so much for him, and he had ruined everything.

"Are you mad at me?" He squinted his eyes; ready for the blow.

"Mad at you? No, I'm not mad at you, Noah. Confused? Yes. Disappointed? A little. Why are you suddenly telling me this now?"

"I told you Beth is sick, right? She has cancer. She needs a bone marrow transplant and I may be a donor because Quinn isn't. I could save her life."

"This is all just so much," Gina said, massaging her temples.

"I know it is. But I wanted to finally be honest with you and get everything out in the open. I wanted to tell you about this, believe me I did, but I knew you would convince me not to let Quinn claim the baby was Finn's."

"Why did you do that?"

"Because it's what Quinn needed at the time."

"Do you love her, Noah?"

"Yea, I do."

"I can see it in your eyes."

"And I love you, Ma."

"I love you too, Noah."

He bent down, giving his mom a hug and kiss on the cheek. "Why don't I go pick up Ky from practice? I'll take her to dinner and explain everything to her. You just relax and take everything in."

"Okay, that sounds fine," Gina said.

"Okay, I'll see you when I get back then." Puck grabbed his keys and headed towards the door. Before he left he turned around. "I really am sorry, Ma." She nodded sincerely. Puck turned and headed out to his truck.

X-X-X-X-X

"Oh my gosh, you got a chick pregnant?" Kylie practically yelled through the entire Dairy Queen restaurant.

"Yes, shithead, now keep your voice down," Puck warned.

"You little man-whore," Kylie said smirking. "I can't say I'm surprised."

"Oh please, you were like four when this happened."

"Ten, thank you very much." Kylie put her hands on her hips defensively and huffed. She tossed a large brunette curl behind her shoulder. "And I was very observant for a ten-year-old. I had to be if I wanted to get you in trouble, and I did."

"I'm well aware, you little devil."

"So what are you going to do now?"

"Be a kick-ass father."

"Yea, well genetics aren't on your side in that aspect," she said, rolling her eyes.

"I'm not going to be dad, Ky. I'm not some drunken dead-beat who cares more about being rock 'n' roll than being a good dad. And I'm not going to make Quinn do this on her own."

"Good because I would beat your ass if you did."

"Oh, like you could take me. I play college football, you little shit."

"Am I supposed to be impressed?"

Puck stuck his tongue out at her. "Just eat your damn Blizzard."

He took a bite of his burger and sighed. Well, now his family knew, so that was one thing checked off his list. Now he still needed to talk to Finn about the whole situation, and he knew that was not going to be easy.

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